2016 Volkwagen Golf R

This is my 2016 Mark VII (a.k.a. Mk7 or 7th generation) Golf R, pictured
above the day I brought it home from the dealership.
It comes with a
290 bhp 2.0 liter turbo inline four-cylinder engine,
6-speed manual transmission,
4MOTION all-wheel drive,
Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) cockpit-adjustable dampers,
the NHTSA's 5-star safety rating,
sporty and comfortable leather seats,
VW's decent-sounding Fender®-branded audio system with
sat-nav and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay,
keyless ignition and
other modern features.
Torque peaks at a low 1,800 RPM to provide an almost V8-like power curve.
It gets 30-34 MPG on my morning commute.
It's equally easy to drive in traffic, on the open highway, in bad
weather or a twisty back road.
It sports understated, conservative good looks in a handsome two-box
wagon with hatchback
practicality
and
a surprising cargo capacity.
And it's always fun and engaging.

I love my
Evo
but all its modifications left it a less than idea commuter car,
particularly in stop-and-go traffic up a few steep grades where I live
in the Texas Hill Country.
Plus at 13 years old, it was starting to have some old car breakdowns.
While it was nothing critical or necessarily related to the mods that
had been on the car for a few years already, it did leave me stranded a
couple times.
So my plan was to get a fun but less radical daily driver and keep the
Evo for the times I could drive it fast.
I had done my research and already had family approval for the fitment
of a used Subaru WRX or STI hatchback (the only way to get a Scooby
hatch at that time).
My research into Mk7 Golf Rs told me of interesting improvements over the
Mk6 R and the availability of a manual transmission for 2016.
But $40K new was more than I wanted to spend and the likelihood of
finding one used approached nil.
But it was still in my search rotation and this little beaut popped up
with 5,000 miles on the odometer and $10K off MSRP.
It was only an hour away and I even liked the color.
What a deal!
So of course I jumped on it.
Negotiation at the move-the-metal dealership was unpleasant enough until
I walked away which seemed to do the trick.
I got my price and after a couple dreadful hours in the finance
department (despite arriving with my own financing) and waiting on the
prep crew, I hired a couple guys to help me drive the Evo and the R
home.

I love the adjustable suspension for smoothing out the bumps on some of
the local roads I frequent and
I've made a few
improvements
here and there.
I wish my 2016 were available with all the driver assistance features in
our Passat VR6 like adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitor, etc.,
but I'm not about to trade my financial coup for it.
It's great to be back in a hatch since the Porsches and driving a car
with tasteful, classic looks that doesn't
grab the attention of traffic enforcement and
15-year-old boys alike.

In fact, it's turned out to be such a great car I ended up selling the
Evo.
I probably would have kept the rally car if I had a third garage bay to
keep it out of the elements.
Even new, the Evo's torque peak was north of 3,000 RPM; the cams and
turbo pushed that past 4,000.
So even though the Evo leads it by at least 100 peak horsepower, the
low-down torque gives it the area under the curve to make the R's power
more usable in all situations.
And the Golf's short wheelbase and good-enough chassis, handling and
AWD left me driving the Evo less all the time.
I miss the radical, yellow screamer but the Golf R does a great job as
my all-purpose car.